Easy Miso Mushroom Ramen

This vegetarian (with a vegan option) miso mushroom ramen is made with only 10 supermarket-friendly ingredients. Be sure to check out all the #FoodieMamas mushroom recipes at the end of this post!

When did you have your first bowl of ramen?

I remember my grandmother feeding me Oodles of Noodles all the time when I was a kid. I think I’ve mentioned previously the raw hot dog incident? She wasn’t exactly a gourmand.

Looking back I find it kind of hilarious. Who feeds a little kid a pack of instant ramen and calls it a meal? But of course at the time I loved it.

I didn’t have real, authentic ramen until much later. When I was 20 years old I spent a semester studying abroad in London, and my friends and I became totally obsessed with a Japanese noodle bar called Wagamama.

I fell head-over-heels for the springy noodles, the deeply savory broth, the perfect runny egg, and the way you had to eat it with both chopsticks and a spoon, and it was always messy nonetheless.

A couple of years after that, I moved to New York City where there are many great ramen restaurants like Ippudo, Momofuku Noodle Bar, and (right around the corner from our Brooklyn apartment) Chuko.

Whenever I wanted it, a soul-warming bowl of noodles was right at my fingertips.

But now we live in the suburbs, and ramen restaurants are few and far between. Since we moved, I’ve had it in the back of my head to make it at home, but I was intimidated. I assumed it would be extremely labor-intensive, and that I would have to buy a whole bunch of specialty ingredients.

You guys, I only wish I had taken the plunge sooner!

It turns out that incredibly delicious, dare I say crave-worthy ramen can be made in UNDER ONE HOUR using only 10 INGREDIENTS from your local supermarket.

Oh, and it’s vegetarian with a vegan option, too. Ready? Let’s do this.

The base is a simple mushroom broth flavored with fresh scallions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce and MISO, which makes it super-savory and also just a tiny bit creamy. For veggies I kept it simple with sauteed shiitakes and baby spinach, but you could certainly add shredded carrots, kale, bok choy… whatever floats your boat.

Upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods sell fresh ramen noodles in the refrigerator section, but I used two packages of instant noodles (NOT the flavor packets tho. Please, I beg of you, throw those sodium bombs out).

Last but not least, for an authentic finishing touch I topped each bowl with a six-minute egg. If you want to make these vegan just leave it out, or swap in some pan-fried cubes of tofu.

A shower of chopped scallions and (if you’re Alex) a big squirt of sriracha, and you’ll swear you’re in…Brooklyn, if not quite Japan 😉

What finally inspired me to make ramen at home was the amazing #FoodieMamas! This month our ingredient was mushrooms. Be sure to check out all their amazing mushroom recipes below!

Easy Miso Mushroom Ramen

2016-04-15 00:18:56

Serves 4

You can easily prepare the ramen broth a day or two ahead. Reheat and add the noodles and spinach before serving. To make this vegan, omit the eggs or substituted cubes of pan-fried tofu.

Put the dried mushrooms in large bowl and cover with 4 cups of hot water. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Strain the mixture, reserving the liquid (be sure to avoid any grit at the bottom of the bowl). Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Combine 2 tablespoons of oil (1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, if using) scallion whites, ginger, and garlic in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch. Heat over medium heat until sizzling and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, the reconstituted mushrooms, and the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushroom soaking liquid, 2 cups of water, and the soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Ladle a little bit of the broth into a bowl and stir in the miso paste until well combined. Pour the miso mixture back into the pot and stir to combine. Add the ramen noodles and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the spinach. Cover and let stand until wilted, about 2 minutes. If you would prefer more broth, add another cup of water. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with and egg, a sprinkle of the scallion greens, and sriracha (if using).

Notes

To make a six-minute egg for ramen, bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully add an egg and cook for exactly six minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and transfer it to an ice bath. Cool completely. Very carefully peel the egg and slice it in half with a sharp knife.

Ramen bowls are one of my favorite comfort foods. I just made this recipe tonight and it was a hit for me and my fiancé! I am a vegetarian and he is not so he added pork medallions to his bowl. We were slurping until the last drop! I added a little more soy sauce and miso than the recipe called for because I like a bit saltier broth. Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely make it again soon!!

This was excellent! I doubled the recipe and the dried mushrooms I had were ones I had dehydrated myself. I used a slightly different blend of mushrooms as it is what I had on hand. I also substituted gluten free ramen noodles (thanks, Costco). Next time, I will follow another poster’s lead and up the miso a smidge. Very happy with the results. I look forward to making it again! Thank you for such a yummy and easy dinner.

My husband said it is the BEST ramen he has ever had. He lived for many years in Japan, so he knows his stuff. I decided to try this as a treat for him as work is really stressful lately. It absolutely did the trick! Thanks!

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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Lucy. Turnip the Oven is my vegetable-focused food blog, but sometimes I'm sidetracked by dessert. My recipes are simple and approachable, and I use fresh, seasonal ingredients. I hope I inspire you to eat more plants…and cookies.